The present invention relates to a support device for supporting a side drum.
A drum set, in general, includes a pair of side drums. Each side drum is supported above a bass drum by a support device or arranged beside a bass drum supported by a stand. A side drum support device includes a mount, which holds the side drum, and a support pipe, which supports the mount. A support device applicable for side drums of various sizes includes a mechanism for adjusting the position of the side drums in the horizontal direction (for example, in the forward and rearward directions) and a mechanism for adjusting the height and angle of the side drums. The structure of such a support device is shown in FIGS. 12 to 15.
For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,973,248 and 5,949,009 describe a structure in which a fastening piece 121 is fixed to the body of a bass drum BD, and a support bar 122 is supported by the fastening piece 121 in a relatively movable manner (see FIG. 12). The support bar 122 has a front end from which a support pipe 123 upwardly extends. A mount 124 holds the side drum SD on the support pipe 123. In this structure, the position of the side drum SD is adjusted in the forward and rearward directions by moving the support bar 122 relative to the fastening piece 121.
Another conventional device shown in FIG. 13 has a support bar 131, which extends horizontally from an angle adjustment mechanism 130. The support bar 131 has a distal end inserted sideward into the body of a side drum SD and fixed to the side drum SD by a clamp 132. A further conventional device shown in FIG. 14 includes a support bar 141 having a distal end fixed to a floating member 143, which is arranged on the side of the side drum SD, by a clamp 142. In these structures, the position of the side drum SD is adjusted in the forward and rearward directions by changing the position at which the support bar 131 or 141 is fixed to the side drum SD or the floating member 143.
In another conventional device shown in FIG. 15, a holder unit 150, which includes an angle adjustment mechanism and a position adjustment mechanism, is attached to the upper end of a support pipe 151. The holder unit 150 includes a unit body 152, a pair of ball members 153, each of which is supported in a rotatable manner in the unit body 152, and support bars 154, each of which is inserted into a hole 153a of the corresponding ball member 153. The support bars 154 each support a side drum. In this structure, the angle of each side drum is adjusted by rotating the support bar 154 together with the ball member 153. The position of each side drum in the forward and rearward directions is adjusted by moving the support bar 154 in the hole 153a of the ball member 153.
When a plurality of side drums are arranged above a bass drum, the height and angle of each side drum and the positional relationship between the side drums are adjusted so that the drums can be beaten at the best positions. However, in the device shown in FIG. 12, the distance d1 between a load point P of the side drum SD and a fixed point Q of the support bar 122 is long. This increases the load applied to the fixed point Q and produces a bending force between the fastening piece 121 and the support bar 122. As a result, it becomes extremely difficult to horizontally move the side drum SD in a state held by the mount 124. The devices shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 have a disadvantage in that horizontal movement of one of the side drums SD will change the positional relationship with the other side drum SD. In the device shown in FIG. 14, the support bar 141 cannot be inserted into the side drum SD. Thus, the adjustment amount for adjusting the position of the side drum SD in the horizontal direction is insufficient. Further, in the device shown in FIG. 15, the holder unit 150 includes both the angle adjustment mechanism and the position adjustment mechanism. Therefore, adjustment of the angle of the side drum SD would change the position in the forward and rearward directions. Accordingly, although employment of the conventional devices would enable the position of the side drums SD to be adjusted in the horizontal direction, such adjustment is far from easy. Therefore, further improvement is required in this respect.